Comments on: Ask Your Clearance Questions – Part 17

By: Hopeful 86

Hopeful 86 — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:58:51 +0000

Hi, I’m currently joining the army however I am unable to choose a job that I want due to a security clearance. I owe money to credit card companies and have a lot of hospital bills due to no insurance. I recently quit a job at a cafe because they said I was stealing. And this is not true. My boss and I had a terrible falling out. I have no other criminal convictions. Just late payments, and minor traffic violations which have all been paid for and will if anything happens again. I am twenty years old.

My question is, if over the next few years I clean up my credit, pay off my debts could I be considered for a secret or top secret clearance?

What are the chances that my investigator would believe me over my former boss. It’s solely my word against his.

And my recruiter told me not to mention any hospitalization over the past two years. I’ve been to the hospital for depression, family problems, i’ve been on anti depressants, also I’ve been in two or three accidents, also sick which i’ve had to go to the ER and spent the night. Will this come back to haunt me? I can assure you that all my hospital visits have not resulted in long term damage. Mentally and physically I am both healthy now.

By: William Henderson

William Henderson — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:19:45 +0000

Sunshine11:
Maybe one of the investigators on this blog can help you. I am completely confused by your use of the terms non-criminal disposition and non-criminal violation. What state did this occur in? Iâ€™ve never heard of â€œdisorderly conductâ€ being anything but a criminal (or penal) code offense.

By: William Henderson

William Henderson — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:09:36 +0000

Jim:

See my response to JP20 (the response may take a day to appear because I included a link to the articles I recommended he/she read).

Iâ€™m glad you already notified your employer about your situation. Failing to do so would only compound your problem.

Most mortgage company approved short sales result in deficiency balance (debt) that is not absolved just because the mc agreed to the short sale. What are your intentions regarding any deficiency balance that may remain after a short sale or repossession? As indicated in my 3 articles on “Personal Finances and Security Clearances,” there are factors that can mitigate the negative effects of bad debt on security clearances. You should anticipate that at some point an incident report regarding you financial situation will be sent to your clearance granting authority. This may trigger an investigation long before your next regular reinvestigation.

By: William Henderson

William Henderson — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:16:13 +0000

JP20:
I guess my response to your question at “Ask Your Clearance Question – Part 18″ has been overtaken by events. Whether or not a person is placed on paid leave, unpaid leave, detailed to unclassifed work or terminated between the time a clearance is revoked and the appeal to completed depends on your employer. Obviously you don’t want things to progress to that point. I recommend you read my 3-part article on “Personal Finances and Security Clearances,” as well as my article on “Rebutting and Appealing Security Clearance Denials.” Then come back here with whatever questions you may have or use the premium Q&A service offered at this blog. The recommended articles are posted at http://www.clearancejobs.com/recommended_articles.php

By: Lost

Lost — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:31:51 +0000

I have been granted a NACI in 1999 and 2002 and BI and NACIC in 2007. A few months a go I married to a convicted felon who had two drug possession charges in 1987 ( i was 9 years old at the time) and a firearm charge in 1996. He has since served the sentences required and has turned his life around. I am wondering if my clearances will be revoked. If so, would getting a divorce allow me to be have my clearance reinstated.

By: JP20

JP20 — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:55:01 +0000

I currently have a TS clearance, however, I am being reinvestigated because of financial concerns. I have been addressing my problems with my finances but I have not gotten everything taken care of. I have an upcoming interview with an investigator. If my clearance is revoked can I appeal this? If so, will I be placed on administrative leave or will I be terminated until the appeal is heard. I would really, really appreciate a response. Thank you very much.

By: Remy

Remy — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:23:38 +0000

I am going to be foreclosing my home. Up until recently I had TS/SCI clearance which I’m told has lapsed to secret (it’s been over five years since the initial clearance was granted). Other than my impending foreclosure, I have good credit. Am I going to lose my clearance? Anyone with good info please help.

By: tryingforca

tryingforca — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:05:54 +0000

I am trying to get a Secret security clearance. I have a few items on my credit report. But no criminal background. My question is will they check my wife’s credit as well and her background? She has numerous deliquent debts on her credit, many are from before we were married. She also has had several speeding tickets and wrote some bad checks at sometime in her life. Will this keep me from getting a security clearance?

By: Wondering

Wondering — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:23:19 +0000

Hi,

Two questions: My interim secret was granted earlier this month within a few days of submitting my paperwork. Can someone tell me what the average wait time for a final secret is these days?

I am separated from my Middle Eastern spouse, but under the same roof when my spouse is in town. My spouse is a US citizen of many years. Does anyone foresee a problem with my spouse’s nationality?

Thanks in advance!

By: John

John — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:33:24 +0000

Investigator,

I am currently a federal LEO with a TS clearance. I am applying to another agency and am filling out another sf86. I got to the drug use section, and realized I took a prescription Adderall back in college, 2004. I guess either I didn’t see the prescription part or didn’t even remember doing it when I filled out my first sf86. So I know I need to include it in this one, and I’ve never done any other drugs. Will it be a problem when they look back at my previous 86 and see that I did not list it in that one?

Thanks for the time and help

By: BW AN INVESTIGATOR

BW AN INVESTIGATOR — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:04:34 +0000

Contract Inv

Have the FSO contact OPM. Your SSBI was done, but not adjudicated to the TS.

By: Contract Investigator

Contract Investigator — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:11:23 +0000

Okay, now I have my own question (again). I have been working the OPM contract for almost 3 years and had my investigation completed by FISD in 5/06. A clearance was never activated, as none was needed for the work I was doing (OPM contract). I do not know if the investigation was even adjudicated. I am now looking for work at other agencies who are trying to confirm the investigation, as the company I have been performing work for is almost out of business-no more work. Problem is, my information is not in the CVS. It’s nowhere. So they have been unable to confirm that I have ever been investigated. My security office has a history of being less than cooperative with individuals trying to get information and has a history of being only a little more cooperative with other agencies regarding these matters. Does anyone know where else I can look to find my investigation? Any help would be appreciated!

By: sunshine11

sunshine11 — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:12:50 +0000

Hello,

First of all, thank you for providing such detailed information on this blog. I have a question about obtaining a security clearance. Three months ago, as a result of a terrible misunderstanding, I was arrested and charged with two felony charges for taking another’s items in a dark club. However, I am innocent and in the process of negotiating with the prosecutor. I have been offered a disorderly conduct violation, which is a noncriminal disposition, however we are working on getting the charges completely dismissed since I am innocent.

Other than this one instance, my record is completely clean. I have an M.Sc.-level specialized education from an ivy league school and a clean financial history.

Will the pending charges disqualify me from obtaining a clearance, when I know in fact, that in the worst case scenario I will have a noncriminal violation?

Thanks and I look forward to any help on this issue.

By: Jim

Jim — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 14:08:13 +0000

Thanks for your time and answers to my previous post. Our agency has stopped trying to give guidance on this issue, as I am sure they are inundated with requests for answers. Thanks for your time in trying to fill that void with the effort on this web site. My concern, primarily, is that after 10 yrs of fed service with a TS, and perfect credit rating, that, if we have to let this house go, I would loose my TS, and subsequently, my job. My wife and I have always had perfect credit scores, and a great credit history, so we havenâ€™t established a track record of bad financial decision making. This would be the first bad financial mark we have received. However, with the transfer, and the renter situation, coupled with the current market, it is a very real concern for me right now. It is an 80/20 mortgage, fixed rates, no PMI (pretty traditional as far as 80/20â€™s go). Like I said, we have submitted to the MCâ€™s to request help, however, we donâ€™t expect much. We donâ€™t have that much credit to manage if this hose is lost, as a matter of fact, if we have to let it go, we will probably pay off the rest of our family debt in approximately 6 months. Besides being completely open/honest about this with my senior management (which I have, I have talked to them about the situation to ensure they are aware, and that it is not something that could ever be used to blackmail me into jeopardizing my security clearance), are there any other steps that would make my re-investigation go smoother? What else would you expect the investigator to look for to prove that we exhausted all of our resources to prevent this?
Thanks for anymore help or answers you can provide, and have already provided.

By: BW AN INVESTIGATOR

BW AN INVESTIGATOR — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:24:51 +0000

Polyglot,

Sound advice.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:39:35 +0000

Hi:

Hoping someone can shed some light for me. I was selected for a Spring ’09 Internship with the State Department and Secret clearance is required for the position. I completed my e-QIP back in October, but had to make a couple of corrections that delayed official submission until early December. I was denied tentative clearance because my wife is a foreign national. I don’t really have any skeletons in the closet, clean debt, etc. I have spent a significant amount of time abroad – 3 years in China and interim periods in Bulgaria – where my wife is from. I tried providing as much data as possible to verify any employment and/or addresses while abroad. Anyway, I was hopefully supposed to have a final decision today and I contacted Diplomatic Security (DSS); my case has apparently been returned to the case manager to collect more information. Diplomatic Security also told me that the case will automatically be referred to adjudication because my wife is foreign born (green card holder, but not yet citizen, here since 2004 with a good job). This will supposedly add another 2-4 weeks to the process. They also told me that I may be restricted from working in Bulgaria because that’s where my wife is from, but that’s where I’m supposed to intern. No one ever mentioned this to me prior to today. Is this the rule? I’m just wondering if I should stick with it, or just give up on the internship, since I can potentially graduate by May. I’m planning on calling the Embassy people tomorrow to see what they have to say. Also, although I may miss a spring internship, could I stick with the process just to finish and make things potentially easier in the future?

By: Larry

Larry — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:08:18 +0000

I have 5 marks on my record. The twist however is this, 3 of those charges were dismissed, and 1 occurred as a juvenile and has been expunged. The fifth is an alcohol related charge where I payed a $200 fine(no probation or any such thing). Also, 2 of the charges occured in high school, and 3 within a 6 month period in college. Itâ€™s been 6 years and Iâ€™ve been squeaky clean. Will this prevent me from obtaining a secret clearance?

By: Kenny

Kenny — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:43:06 +0000

Ponga:
Welcome to the club of those who are unemployable based on a JPAS entry. Mr. Henderson’s statement…”Even if there was unfavorable information about you in JPAS, according to the rules the prospective employer is not permitted to use that information to make a hiring decision,” is naive and misleading. Potential employers will NOT hire you if there is an unfavorable (true or false) statement in JPAS about you. Employers are not willing to wait > 2 years for adjudication. JPAS permits past employers to enter unfavorable statements WITHOUT any government OVERSIGHT and without notifying the terminated employee. The Obama administration appears to be aware of these injustices and hopefully can restore independence between Government Security personnel and Defense Contractors.

By: William Henderson

William Henderson — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:22:49 +0000

Maya:

No you can not apply for a clearance by yourself without sponsorship.

The length of time necessary depends on the agency involved.

The questions on the application form and the Personal Subject interview generally cover the same topics. You should review the new application form (SF86) dated July 2008. The polygraph questions depend on the type of polygraph examâ€”there are 2 types.

By: polyglot

polyglot — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:20:06 +0000

BW:
The use of peyote as part of a bona fide religious ceremony by Native Americans is legal under Federal law, and in many States. Congress specifically exempted this after a divided Supreme Court decision on whether it was protected by the First Amendment (freedom of religion).

Since the question asks whether you have “illegally” used any controlled substance I think Jason should take advice from a lawyer familiar with these laws as to whether his particular use was legal or not.